PH Port Laments Land Encroachment

The Nigerian Ports Au
thority (NPA), Rivers Ports  complex has lamented encroachments on its land by communities where the ports operate .
The manager of the ports, Mrs Carolyn Akum Ufere who disclosed  this in her speech at the centenary lecture organised by the port penultimate Saturday in Port Harcourt, said the subject of land encroachment had been one of the challenges of the port.
She said “the Nigerian ports Authority land holdings are found in Port Harcourt, Bonny in Rivers State and Akassa in Bayelsa State. Over the years, most of these lands have been the subject of encroachment by some natives of the host communities. These lands were actually acquired for future port development and complementary port uses”.
According to herin as a result of this satiation, the Authority needs to put necessary machinery n motion towards the re-establishment of the boundaries of these land prior to fencing.
The port manager also stated that Rivers port, apart from serving the needs of maritime related firms and other companies in the southern parts of Nigeria, also contends with vital economic role as a transit route to reach land locked places in the north, including Niger and Chad Republics.
She said that it is a thing of pride that the port provides essential services to prominent companies like Port Harcourt Flour Mills, PZ Cussons Plc, Nigerian Bulk Oil Company, among others.
According to her, the Rivers Port has undergone massive transformation, since its concessioning where NPA has become land lord to other operators at the port.
Ufere however, frowned at the state of industry road that leads to the port, which serves as the main access road into the port.

Corlins Walter